Policing and Criminalization

Recent uprisings in American cities like St. Louis, Baltimore, and Baton Rouge, reawakened a centuries-old struggle to free Black and Brown communities from oppressive and discriminatory law enforcement.

These pivotal moments generated a new wave of movement resistance until policing practices and the entire criminal justice system are reformed. Yet, while systemic reform has gained broader and more mainstream support in the wake of events like #Ferguson, a new federal administration still seeks to turn back the clock and fortify the police state in communities of color.

The Justice Project provides short- and long-term support to local campaigns seeking not simply to reform, but to wholly dismantle systems that over-criminalize and over-incarcerate people of color in the name of “law and order.” We aim to help impacted communities define the terms and control the means by which peace is realized in their streets and neighborhoods, and to re-imagine for themselves how “safety” is pursued.